Soldier
by Numbuh 714
Summary: Quick one-shot because writer's block SUCKS. Read and review please! (No, I am NOT pairing Numbuh 362 with Numbuh 10. Read and guess the pairing.)


**Guess the pairing. I double-dog dare you. Whoever gets it right gets a virtual cookie! Or chewy pellets. Whichever you prefer.**

**DISCLAIMER: I am not Mr. Warburton. Therefore, I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door. Which is very depressing.**

**...There. The disclaimer's done. Now I won't have Mr. Warburton's lawyers busting down my doors. I wonder if Mr. Warburton reads fan-fiction?**

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Rachel looked up wistfully at her picture frame on the wall. She was jealous of her past self. She had been so happy, so free, so…young. She envied the younger her. He had been with her then.

She had made so many happy memories with him. Even the less-than-happy ones, like the I.T. fiasco, he made worthwhile. Only to have it ripped away from her on her 13th birthday. Unfortunately, that day was today.

Numbuh 10 walked in the room. Rachel turned her attention to her. Both of them had tears in their eyes.

"H-h-hi Numbuh 10…," Rachel managed. Numbuh 10 smiled weakly. Rachel took it as a sign to continue. "Is there *sniff* anything I can help you with?"

Numbuh 10 wiped away her tears and sat down in the chair in front of Rachel's desk. "Before you get…_ decommissioned_…," Rachel flinched at the word, "I have a few questions for you." Rachel nodded her compliance and sat at the other end of the desk, facing Numbuh 10.

"What was your happiest day during your service?"

"The day I became Supreme Leader," Rachel responded immediately. Standard answer.

Numbuh 10 looked at her with something Rachel vaguely recognized as… sympathy? "No silly," said Numbuh 10. "_REALLY_… what's the happiest memory you have? Might as well have it recorded, since you won't remember anything after today."

Rachel hesitated. My happiest memory… wasn't that the day….? No, that wasn't it. What about….? Yep. Got it.

"The day I got my first crush…," she responded shyly. Numbuh 10 grinned meekly. Sure this was front page news, but the Supreme Leader was being decommissioned today.

"Who was it?'

"It doesn't matter. I'm over him."

Numbuh 10 drooped a little, before realizing what she had implied. "So, who do you like now?"

Rachel was taken aback. She mentally reprimanded herself. Never underestimate the great observation skills of a reporter. "It doesn't matter," she repeated.

"So you're _not _over him?" Numbuh 10 asked. Rachel stared at her, not saying a word. Numbuh 10 jotted something down, grinning like she had won the lottery, then she stopped, realizing that grinning like a mad woman was probably not the most compassionate thing to do. "So describe what being in love is like."

Instead of flinching, like she had predicted, Rachel sighed. "It's not so easy to describe it…"

Numbuh 10 leaned forward eagerly, urging her to go on. Rachel complied. "Every time you're around that special person, you feel like you're floating and nothing else matters in the world, except not screwing up in front of him. His smile gives you butterflies, his laugh sounds like music to your ears. Your heart feels weird… but in a good way." She paused, and registered what she had just said. "…That… sounded… _really_ cheesy…"

Numbuh 10 laughed. "So are you in love with someone? Or do you just really _like-like_ him?"

Rachel shuffled her feet against the carpet. "Well… I think it's more than just a crush. One might call it 'love'."

"How would you define love?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "Love is like candy," she stated. "It's very addicting and you always want to have it. When you don't, you feel empty. And when you have it and you have someone special to share it with… it becomes infinitely more magical and sweet."

Numbuh 10 nodded slowly, contemplating the depth of the wisdom Rachel had just given her. "One last question, Supreme Leader, sir. This one won't be recorded, for privacy reasons." Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

She looked at her leader slyly. "Who _do_ you like?"

Rachel blinked. She couldn't tell her exactly _who_; both she and the reporter would feel very uncomfortable. What is he exactly? He is a friend, loyal and true. He's an advisor, always looking out for her best interests, even when she had lost all hope. A warrior, fearless and a bit reckless. A leader, stern, fair and trusting. _But what is he?_ Rachel pondered.

Then, she had a sudden realization. She looked out past Numbuh 10, out the window and into the stars. One twinkled, as if confirming her suspicion. She looked at Numbuh 10 with soft, melancholy eyes. "He cannot be described exactly with words. He's brave and helpful. He's perfect, but he isn't. He's reckless, I'll admit. But he'd fight for me full heartedly, even if it meant total defeat. He's loyal. He is my friend, yet he is my subordinate." She smiled sadly.

"He is a soldier."

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**Review? Please? I have cake... I swear it isn't a lie.**

**~Numbuh 714(Call me Treecko if ya like). **


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